The Long Halloween NOVELIZATION
by theconstantdvdcollector
Summary: First in a series of novelizations of famous Graphic Novels in DC Comics. Batman, James Gordon, and Harvey Dent team up to bring down Gotham's most notorious mobsters while a mysterious assassin known as the Holiday Killer begins a reign of terror in Gotham City.
1. Crime

The Long Halloween

Written by the Constant DVD Collector

Based on the characters of DC Comics and Bob Kane as well as the graphic novel by Jeph Loeb

* * *

Chapter One

Crime

* * *

**June**

_I believe in Gotham City…what does that mean? Do I believe that this city is beyond redemption? No. I __**know**__ that this city can be saved…both in the form of a White Knight and a Dark Knight. I can protect it from evil and crime as Batman…_

Those were the words Bruce Wayne thought to himself as he walked into, at the moment, his mortal enemy's office. Waiting for him was a man about ten years older than him named Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone. Falcone was a tall man who vaguely resembled Marlon Brando in the Francis Ford Coppola film known as _The Godfather_. However, he lacked the infamous puffed cheeks of Brando's Vito Corleone and also bore three deep knife cuts across his right cheek, almost like a cat had slashed him across the face. Much like Corleone, he was dressed in a classy old-fashioned tuxedo and waistcoat with a Violet Carson rose in his lapel.

Bruce ignored the hand that Carmine offered to shake with and began to speak.

"I have only come tonight out of respect for my parents who unfortunately knew your father, Carmine." He said as he peeked out of Carmine's office out over the scene of the wedding reception.

Carmine laughed calmly as he sniffed his lapel rose.

"Your father was a lot more than just a friend to my father, Bruce."

"That was a long time ago." Bruce almost snarled as he looked out at the repulsive farce taking place outside of the office in the gardens of Falcone's massive penthouse on a low-level building which was in the form of a high-class society wedding for Carmine's nephew, Johnny Viti.

It seemed like only yesterday that Carmine was hiring lowlife thugs to slide some knives between the ribs of Johnny Viti over some forgotten insult or something. In response, Johnny was going to testify before the grand jury against his own uncle and admit that his uncle was a man who had orchestrated enough death in the city of Gotham to rival a war in Corto Maltese. But instead, Johnny never testified and was getting married to a girl he barely knew with Carmine paying for the bill completely.

As Bruce looked over the scene of forced happiness and jocularity, he spoke to Carmine calmly.

"And now, you have so many new friends, Carmine. So many wealthy and influential friends. I'm seeing judges, off-duty cops, several union leaders and not just from Gotham but Metropolis and Chicago, hell, even Wayne Enterprises' top banker is here. That is Richard Daniel over there, is it not?"

Carmine sat down at his desk and chanced a look at a painting that Bruce noticed with his fast eyes.

"I'm a considerably lucky man. Richard tells me that Wayne Enterprises is open to the idea of a partnership with my small empire of businesses. Perhaps you could vote in favor of such a thing?" He stated as he cracked his knuckles politely.

Bruce whirled on Carmine coldly.

"Don't even go there. I won't vote or influence the board to do business with you regardless of whatever position you have gotten Richard to take."

"Well, that's disappointing, Bruce. But I remain optimistic of our future business together and hope that sooner or later we might be able to trust each other more as friends. So, for right now, I say that you should enjoy the party. Oh, and try the cannoli. They're flown in fresh from Corleone."

"Let me assure you, Carmine, that life is just full of little disappointments. It's what makes what we do so…challenging."

Bruce left the office calmly, feeling like he wanted to vomit or just storm right back in and punch Carmine in the face. But instead, he left the room peacefully, and waited for a second before listening in through the door to the conversation between Carmine and his _consigliore_, Milos Grapa.

"_You want me to have a couple of the boys to 'persuade' Bruce like the others?"_

"_No. Richard has assured me that the votes are enough, even without my god-brother, Bruce…even though his vote would have cinched it for us-"_

A younger voice spoke that jarred Bruce out of his listening.

"Hey, you need any help there?" Spoke Alberto Falcone, Carmine's both eldest and personal favorite son who was also completely excluded from the family business. He was a Harvard and Oxford graduate and was nicknamed 'The Good Son' by most of the people of high society. Alberto regarded Bruce with unreadable eyes behind his strange purple-rimmed glasses as Bruce stuttered and spoke.

"I went looking for the Bathroom but your father's penthouse always gets me turned around. Perhaps I just had too much champagne."

"Don't worry, Bruce. It's down the hall to the right."

"Thanks, Alberto." Bruce commented as he walked past Alberto, who lit up a cigarette and took a long draw from it.

Bruce then calmly walked into the main garden where the reception was taking place and heard a voice speak from off to the side.

"It's hot. Even for June." A young black-haired woman dressed in a pretty black dress that left little to the imagination spoke, "I bet years from now when people are talking about the weather, they'll probably say, 'It's hot, but not as hot as the night that Johnny Viti got married'."

Bruce smiled a kind smile at Selina Kyle who was a good friend of his. Perhaps more than just a friend…

"Hello, Selina."

"Care to dance, Bruce?"

Bruce took her hand and they began to dance magnificently as the band launched into a pretty good adaptation of Van Morrison's 'Moondance'. As they danced, a powerful looking woman who had lavished a lot of care on herself called over to Johnny Viti, who was a stocky-looking brute with a wide nose.

"Johnny! Johnny! Come over here!"

"Oh, sorry Momma." Johnny said to his mother, who was Carla Viti, the current ruler of vice and crime in Metropolis.

"Now then, Johnny. Tell me who is that lovely young man dancing with the whore over there pretending to be one of the High-Society types?" She stated coldly as she gestured at Bruce Wayne the billionaire dancing with Selina Kyle the high-end call girl.

"Oh, him? That's Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham. His old man and Uncle Carmine's father used to be friends, or something…"

"Ah, so that is Bruce Wayne?"

"Ya want I should make him say hello, or something, Momma?" Johnny asked calmly.

"Let him be for now." Carla stated.

* * *

As this scene played out, Carmine and Milos were watching from behind the office's windows with Alberto walking in. Carmine chuckled and spoke.

"Just look at my sister, Carla, out there. Smiling like the cat about to eat the canary. If anything will ever happen to me, Alberto, take refuge under her wings in Metropolis."

"Don't talk like that, Pop. Nothing is ever going to happen to you. Although…I did see Bruce Wayne hanging around earlier-"

"Alberto, shouldn't you be off chasing some pretty girls? There's plenty here at the Wedding looking for a nice Sicilian man. You shouldn't be involving yourself in my affairs." Carmine stated.

Before Alberto could protest his father, Milos spoke up as he looked at a surveillance video on Carmine's iMac.

"Don Falcone, you might want to have a look at this."

Falcone looked at the picture that Milos had pulled up and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's Dent."

"Want I should bring him up for a little man-to-man talk?"

"No, just soften him up a bit." Carmine commented as he lit up his favorite brand of Cuban cigar.

* * *

Harvey Patrick Dent was standing in the parking garage underneath the Falcone Imports building that had Carmine's fortress of a penthouse on top of it. The young and recently elected District Attorney of Gotham City was writing down the plates of cars and talking to himself calmly.

"Y'know, Harvey, if you had any sense at all which you don't, you'd be at home enjoying some scotch and a cigar while having the game on. But no, instead you've got to spend the night writing a who's-who list of people who are attending Johnny's wedding-ARGH!" His ranting was cut short as two lower-level members of the Falcone organization snuck up from behind him and began to beat the living crud out of him while shouting at him.

"Why don't you stop sticking your nose into other people's business!"

"Yeah, and you weren't invited to this shindig, Dent!"

"I suggest you crawl back into your hole, unless you want your wife to get a little surprise visit!"

Dent blocked out the yelling and began to black out from his ringing head and collapse.

* * *

Bruce and Selina were walking down through the parking garage, talking calmly.

"So, you don't have to go home with anyone tonight?"

"Nah, I just came looking for you, Bruce." Selina commented, "I sort of heard about the trouble Falcone's been causing you and I figured you would need a friend to lean on."

"And thanks for that, Selina, but-Hey, is that Harvey Dent?!"

Bruce and Selina ran over to the district attorney of Gotham City and saw he was lying on the ground, a trickle of blood running from his mouth. Bruce started to help Harvey up while Selina pulled out her smartphone to call an ambulance, but Harvey merely shook his head.

"Don't. I'm fine." He muttered angrily, "I certainly hope I didn't spoil your evenings?"

Selina rolled her eyes.

"I guess that's the same as 'Thanks for making sure I didn't need help.'"

"No, really, you high-society types just do whatever it is you do and I'll just take care of what needs to be done."

Bruce looked at Harvey and noticed there was a look in his eyes that reminded him of himself.

"And what needs to be done, Harvey?"  
"I assure you, Bruce, you wouldn't understand. Good night, Miss Kyle, Mister Wayne."

Harvey stormed off. Selina grumbled and looked at Bruce.

"Nice guy. I think I voted for him."

"And I contributed to his campaign. I believe in Harvey Dent." Bruce commented.

Selina chuckled.

"Well, in that city that's saying something. So, uh, Bruce? Got any plans for tonight?"

Bruce decided it was time to go to his real job. The only problem about it was lying to Selina…

"Nah, it's been a long day and that meeting with Carmine Falcone just sort of got me riled up. I need some personal time for myself to cool off."

Selina sighed, realizing that it was time to pull a heist. The only problem about it was lying to Bruce…

"Well, your loss. See ya around, Bruce Wayne."

* * *

At the Major Crimes unit of the Gotham City Police Department, Captain James Gordon was talking on his smartphone to his wife, Barbara.

"Of course I know how late it is, Babs…Yeah, I'm packing it up now…I love you too, dear…No, that's okay. Let's let the kids sleep…" He spoke into the smartphone and then hung up.

As he did, Harvey Dent walked into his office.

"Captain Gordon, I was told I could find you here?" He commented.

"What the-Harvey? You look like you got hit by a truck!"

"Got anything stiff to drink, Jimbo? I really need one."

James pulled out a bottle of slightly warm Guinness from his desk and handed it to Harvey, who chugged it like it was a single shot then spoke.

"I went over to the Falcone wedding. Guess, though, I was not on the list of guests."

"God, Harvey. We talked about this. We have talked about taking needless chances."

"Yeah, I know. And Falcone has us outmanned, outgunned, and outclassed, even. So, how do you propose to take him down?"

James looked out a window and spoke, not sure if he was really doing the right thing suggesting the idea.

"I have a friend…who is more than willing to help."

* * *

Bruce finished suiting up as Batman in an abandoned factory two blocks from Falcone Imports and immediately headed back to the Penthouse on top of Carmine's building, only taking a route via rooftops. Finally, he glided into the Penthouse to see that the reception was almost wrapping up and the big family wedding photo was about to be taken. Fortunately, Carmine's family was too busy getting into position for the photos that they didn't see Batman gliding into an upper window and enter the Penthouse.

Batman slowly approached Carmine's office and saw a surprising sight.

Catwoman was robbing Carmine's office.

She had taken down the painting that Batman had noticed had a safe behind it and was cracking the safe with her masterful expertise. He spoke coldly.

"I was wondering who left the window open."

Catwoman whirled and threw a kick at Batman.

"I do not have time for you!" She hissed, driving him back a little.

"Neither do I. My business doesn't involve you tonight." Batman responded.

"Oh, how funny…I don't believe you!" Catwoman snapped as she lunged with her claws at Batman.

"You should." He snarled as he grabbed her arms.

"Then let go of me!"

The doors ripped open and Milos and two other of Carmine's _carparagiemes_ stormed in holding revolvers.

"_Take these two out!"_ Milos shouted, lapsing back into his native Italian.

Batman used his cape to shield himself and Catwoman, who responded by saying:

"Now look at what you have done!"  
"Enough!" Batman roared as he threw a smoke bomb at the three mafiosos.

The room rapidly filled with smoke and Batman took out Milos and the two _carparagiemes_ easily with a few well-placed punches. As the smoke finally cleared, Carmine walked into the room with quiet rage decorating his face.

"In my own home…where my children sleep…on the wedding day of my nephew!" He spoke as he looked at Milos, who was nursing a cut to his arm, "Milos, _consigliere_, surely you have an explanation!"

Milos stuttered a little then spoke as Carmine slapped him.

"It was Catwoman and Batman!"

A hard laugh was suddenly heard and Carmine whirled to see Salvatore Maroni, his rival and one of his former _carparagiemes_ laughing at him from the hallway.

"You know, there was a time when this would have never happened, Carmine. You're not getting sloppy in your old age, are you?" He asked amusedly.

"Milos, pour Mr. Maroni here a drink. The rest of you, spread the word NOW! Five hundred thousand dollars for the Bat or the Cat dead…Or a Million alive, each, so I can have them taught manners first!"

* * *

Selina Kyle laughed as she jumped from building to building, leading Gotham's Dark Knight away from Carmine's penthouse. She truly loved the life of Catwoman, and it wasn't just because she got to wear a hot outfit and brandish a whip. She only hated the parts like lying to Bruce and having Batman chase her.

"For a man who claimed he had no business with me, you certainly going out of your way to have business with me!" She exclaimed over her shoulder at Batman.

"Catwoman, what were you doing at Falcone's?"

"Nope, that would be telling! And the absolutely last thing I want to do is to make it easy for you." Catwoman exclaimed as she hid in the shadows.

Batman grumbled as Catwoman disappeared from his sight. Normally, he would track her down for that, but since he saw the Bat-Signal in the skies, he realized there were bigger fish to fry. He headed to the Major Crimes unit to find Harvey and James waiting by the Bat-Signal, talking calmly.

"How much longer?" Harvey asked.

"As long as it takes."

"Oh…is that hell on a Marriage?"

"Well, Barbara understands…Why? You and Gilda having some problems?"

"…Nothing that can't be fixed. But suppose we wait all night and he doesn't show-"

Batman landed behind the two men and spoke.

"Gentlemen."

Harvey actually jumped about three feet in the air in surprise.

"Holy mother of-Jeez, Bats, don't you ever not enter dramatically?"

"Occupational Hazard, Dent."

James smiled calmly.

"I guess I can see that you two know each other?"  
Harvey shrugged and tried to calm down his heart, still surprised from Batman's arrival.

"I've…come to appreciate Batman. He's been doing a lot of good for the City since he can cross lines that we can't."

James adjusted his glasses.

"Even though it is still a line-"

"Yeah and people who live in glass houses sink ships, my old man would say." Harvey commented then mused to himself, "When he was not beating the crap out of me."

Batman spoke up quickly.

"Given the lateness of the hour and the condition of your clothing, Dent, you have been at the Roman case again?"

"Listen, Batman, I know and you know that he is just a man named Carmine Falcone. Let us call him that since that title makes him think he is above the law."

James grumbled.

"He isn't."

"Then why don't we arrest him? Have him dragged protesting in chains from his Penthouse to stand trial? I have files full of unsolved robberies, hijackings, and murders and overdoses, all of which have his name on them. His money buys witnesses, cops, judges. In what way isn't the Roman above the law?!" Harvey exclaimed.

"Listen, we can talk about it all we want but we know what needs to be done." Batman stated coldly.

James nodded then spoke coldly also.

"Let me be clear on this. In our…zeal…to bring down Carmine Falcone….I'll let you bend the rules but not break them. Otherwise, how are we different than him?"

Harvey nodded his response and spoke two words.

"Of course."

Batman thought to himself of when he pledged himself to fight the evils of Gotham and realized that there was only so much even a masked man could do and spoke.

"Agreed."

Batman then left silently, leaving Harvey and James to finish up talking.

"He's gone."

"Yeah…he does that. Slightly annoying, no? You know, I thought for a long time that you were Batman?" James commented as he polished some dirt off of his glasses.

Harvey laughed.

"Sorry, but I like the job I have now and I don't like bats in general. Hey, I think Batman left us something…"

Harvey picked up a large book and spoke.

"Falcone's Ledger! It has dates and numbers, everything that we need to start!" Harvey grinned.

* * *

**July**

Bruce Wayne was attending the board meeting at Wayne Enterprises and had a look of pure rage on his face as he spoke to the board.

"I cannot believe this! Everyone in this room knows without a doubt what the Falcone Family has their hands into! Gambling, Racketeering, Unions, Drugs! For us to truly consider doing business with them is-"

Richard Daniel immediately stood up with a smile.

"Bruce, calm down. You are making a considerable amount of wild accusations against a man in the export-import business. And on that note, Business is Business and this company joining forces with Falcone Imports would bring in boatloads of money, no pun intended."

"Dirty money that he wants laundered here! This will not happen."

Bruce stormed out of the meeting angrily.

_Somewhere in this city…I know the Roman is smiling…_

* * *

Later that night found Richard Daniel in his swanky penthouse that he could only afford with a little extra money from the Falcone family. He called out to his girlfriend, a popular reporter known as Vicki Vale.

"Hey, Vicki? Let's get going! The Reservation is in half an hour and-"

Batman seemed to just appear out of nowhere and pin him to a wall.

"Richard Daniel! Unless you want to go to jail for laundering money, I suggest you keep the money from Falcone Imports away from Wayne Enterprises and its banks! Understood!?" Batman roared into Richard Daniel's terrified face.

* * *

**August**

Carmine Falcone pounded a fist onto his desk in rage.

"_Morte!_ I want Richard Daniel's head on a pike, if it comes to that!"

"I warned you, Carmine, that ever since Richard Daniel quit his job as Wayne Enterprises' CFO, no company or bank will touch us. My family has over fifty million stockpiled-" Maroni commented and was interrupted by Carmine.

"Shut up! If you are not part of the equation, then you are part of the problem!"

Carla spoke up from the couch she was sitting on.

"Carmine, we're getting choked here. Everyone from Metropolis to Miami is looking at our families sideways."

Alberto chimed in.

"Pop, there might be a way to-"

"Alberto, please, we are talking business here. Carla, where is that nephew of mine? He's been in Italy too long. I need him and his guns here. Now."

* * *

**September**

Richard Daniel and his new girlfriend, Charlotte Thomason, were walking down a street near Crime Alley, passing by a large Movie Theater that was being built there.

"What do you say, Darling? We get out of Gotham for a while and maybe head to Paris?"

"Oh, Paris in Autumn? How romantic!" Gasped Charlotte.

"Yo! Richard Daniel!" A tough voice called out.

"Who-"

Richard Daniel briefly saw the face of Johnny Viti-Falcone firing on him with a semi-automatic Hechler and Koch machine gun then he collapsed on the ground with a bleeding out heart.

* * *

At the Gordon House, James Gordon was doing the dishes while Barbara tended to their daughter.

"All I am saying, Babs, is that I'm sorry that we didn't get to go away this summer. But now that's it is September and the heat wave has stopped, perhaps we will see a drop in crime and-"

The landline phone began to ring.

"Get that, will ya?"

Barbara sighed.

"Why? We both know that it is for you. Hardly anyone ever calls me-" Barbara commented with a smile on her face.

"Aw, come on, Barbara!" James laughed as Barbara handed him the phone.

His smile disappeared in a flash.

"I'll call Harvey."

* * *

Gilda Dent walked down into the basement of the tiny house she and her husband Harvey Dent resided in.

"Harvey? You down here?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Harvey asked, hardly looking up from his tools.

"Jim Gordon just called. Richard Daniel was just murdered and I'm scared Harvey."

She began to cry as Harvey held her delicately in his strong arms.

"I'm scared that some night that phone is going to ring and-"

"It's going to be okay, Gilda…It's going to be okay." He whispered with a look of determination on his face.

* * *

**October**

Johnny Viti-Falcone drew himself a bath calmly in the bathroom of his slightly small apartment. It had been two weeks since his wife had revealed she was sleeping with someone else and he beat her black and blue for it and threw the man she was sleeping with through a window. Now he needed a nice warm bath before he headed to bed…

He slipped into the bath calmly and began to let the soothing warm water calm him down. Suddenly, the door opened up slowly. He half expected it to be the wife, ready for round two of their argument…

A silenced bullet from a .22 automatic pistol hit him in the belly then in the chest then in the head. His blood and stomach acids mixed with the water of the tub as the heat hastened his bleeding out.

His widow finally worked up the courage an hour later to see what was keeping Johnny from coming to bed, even if it was to beat her up again. She gasped in horror as she saw his bloody bathwater and dead body as well as a small plastic pumpkin on the side of the tub.

* * *

Harvey Dent was soon reviewing the coroner's report and files on Johnny Viti-Falcone and spoke to the two other men in the room.

"Three shots. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"I don't want to hear that kind of talk from you, Dent!" James snapped, "In public or private!"

Batman decided to act as the voice of reason this time around.

"Let's not lose focus here. The only clues are thus: A .22 caliber handgun was purposely left at the scene. It had its serial numbers filed off and the handle and trigger were taped. Either a professional or someone who knows a few tricks did this."

James nodded and looked at the photographs of the recovered gun.

"Plus, they used a standard military silencer. Very effective."

Harvey spoke up as he looked at some other evidence.

"And don't forget the pumpkin. It's probably a calling card, like in Boondock Saints with the pennies on the eyes of the dead. But who would want to whack Johnny Viti-Falcone? Maroni would benefit, but so would Carla Viti…You don't think she would execute her own son, Bats?"

Batman had disappeared again.

"I hate it when he does that."

* * *

Batman snuck outside Harvey's office to see that Catwoman was outside listening int.

"Don't you know that curiosity killed the cat?"

Catwoman grinned at him lethally.

"And satisfaction brought her back. I have information, but it comes with a request."

"What's the request?"

"If I am in trouble someday, you come and help me out."

"No promises."

"Ooh, I'll take that chance. Now, I suggest you listen carefully."

* * *

An hour later found Harvey and Batman approaching a warehouse on the docks where Catwoman had said that Maroni and Falcone's dirty money was currently waiting. Harvey was griping out loud as quietly as he could.

"This had better pay off, Bats. I promised Gilda that I would hand out candy to the kids in our neighborhood." He commented to Batman as they entered the Warehouse.

Batman began to look for the light switch. He found it and pulled it.

"We're about to give the Roman one hell of a wakeup call."

Brilliant lights shown down upon a massive mountain of money, all stockpiled up on the wharfs.

Harvey shuddered.

"Oh man, you know, if we were two other guys, Bats…"

"What? You want to help yourself to the Roman's money?"

"…No. No I don't. I know where it came from. Let's get out the Gasoline."

Batman and Harvey doused the area with some cans of gasoline and other flammable liquids then Harvey lit up a cigarette and tossed it onto the piles of money. No one saw the District Attorney fleeing the scene of the crime nor Batman as their attention was too focused on the massive bonfire of several million dollars being incinerated. Batman thought a single thought to himself.

_Somewhere in this city…the Roman isn't laughing anymore._

* * *

Harvey walked over to his small house that he and Gilda lived in as the last of the trick-or-treaters ran by laden with tons of candy. He smiled a nice smile at Gilda and entered their home, ready for a quiet night.

Watching from behind a wheel of a car, a man spoke two words that would change Harvey's life forever.

"Do it."

A flick of a switch and the house exploded violently and the car pulled away rapidly.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED!


	2. Thanksgiving

Chapter Two

Thanksgiving

* * *

"Harvey Dent is dead." Batman spoke coldly as he regarded an Irish native and low-level mobster known as Mickey 'The Mink' Sullivan with angry eyes.

They had finally tracked down The Mink and his small-time operation known as The Irish, who consisted of Mickey's older brother and three other low-level Irish natives, who had blown Harvey Dent's house halfway to hell. The majority of the Irish were downstairs in the holding cell, save for the Mink himself who was being interrogated by Batman and Gordon.

Without waiting for the Mink to respond, Batman continued speaking.

"We know you did it, Mickey. But we also know you're nothing but a little fish, a small fry, and the only thing that little fish are good for are the catching of big fish."

Gordon spoke up calmly, his quiet rage slowly building.

"We want to know who precisely hired you to do that job, Mickey. And if you help us, we will help you. Now, here is something for you to keep in mind: I don't want to be here. My wife is home making a free-range turkey with her famous stuffing and that's where decent and honest people should be on this day. However, justice doesn't have a calendar, Mickey. And if you don't tell us who paid you to kill our District Attorney…I'm going to have to miss that dinner-"

Mickey, who sported some bandages to his face, interrupted Gordon coldly.

"Then I guess you're missing your dinner, Boyo, cause I don't know any Carmine Falcone. Never even heard of him by either that name or whatever else you call him-"

Batman shoved the table into Mickey's gut and proceeded to grill him.

"You made the bomb that blew up the Dent's house."

He produced a plastic baggie with a slightly melted nail in it.

"This nail was part of that bomb and it had a serial number which we traced from the manufacturer to the hardware store two blocks from your apartment. We even have a receipt and it proves that you bought those nails, Mickey? Feel like talking now?"

Mickey was silent for a second then spoke coldly.

"Come on, it's not like he didn't have it coming, Harvey Dent. If it wasn't me that done the deed, there was a line around the block of people who wanted to have a piece of him. But yes, I did the deed. I mean, that's what you want me to say, right? I'll even put it in writing if you want. However, make no mistake, we all know what Dent had did, and it wasn't torching a lot of hard-earned cash."

Gordon got a confused look on his face.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing, save that you should be wondering who killed Johnny Viti-"

"Alright, that's it, we're done with you Mickey. Get him out of here, Montgomery." Gordon snarled.

A uniform yanked Mickey up to his feet and began to escort him down a hall. Gordon looked at Batman.

"You think there was anything to that comment?"

"That Harvey Dent put the bullets into Johnny Viti's body? I can't and won't believe that and neither should you."

"So, why wouldn't Mickey implicate the Roman in his confession? I mean, he's looking at the needle for this."

"He's scared. Not of you or me…but of someone very powerful…"

* * *

Over at Carmine's penthouse found Carmine making some tomato sauce in his kitchen while talking to Alberto.

"I would say we have a lot to be thankful for, Alberto-"

Carla, who was nearby and already considerably drunk, spoke up angrily.

"Like what, Carmine?! My Johnny's in the ground so tell me what I've got to be do damn thankful for!"

"I assure you that the matter is being handled-"

"What? The District Attorney? You don't think this was all the work of Harvey Dent?!"

"I said it was being handle, Carla, and I don't like repeating myself. Now, let's not talk business at dinner on Thanksgiving."

Carla spoke coldly, her voice full of grief.

"That wasn't business, Carmine. Johnny was my only son! My baby!"

Alberto sat quietly though the whole display and made no gesture except adjusting his purple-rimmed glasses.

* * *

The confessions came from Mickey and the rest of the Irish. All of them were rehearsed and clean.

_Whatever Carmine paid these men, he's getting his money's worth…_Batman thought to himself as he spoke calmly.

"Bring up Mickey one last time."

Mickey was brought up and Gordon and Batman looked at him calmly.

"Anything?"

"Nope. Falcone's name was never mentioned down in the holding cell by any of them." Mickey commented…in Harvey Dent's voice, "I think the only thing we have learned was that I suck at talking like an Irishman."

Gordon shrugged as Mickey pulled off his face revealing he was Harvey Dent, alive and well.

"You think they suspected we switched Mickey out of the equation?"

"Oh please, we're giving them too much credit." Harvey stated, "I guess I am not dead anymore and with no murder to spook the Irish gang with, we'll have to let them walk and put word on the street they cut a deal."

"What about attempted murder?!" Gordon exclaimed, "They put your Gilda in the hospital and destroyed your home!"

"If we charge them with that they'll make bail in an hour with a bribe to the judge and we'll still have squat."

Actually, Harvey was wrong…

They made bail is less than an hour and left the Police station in a limo heading to the Towers Hotel.

Meanwhile, The Dents spent Thanksgiving together quietly at Gotham City Memorial and Gordon ate his dinner alone after going home late. Batman meanwhile went on patrol, waiting for something to happen.

At the Towers Hotel, Mickey and his fellow Irishmen calmly chinked glasses of Guinness together in a party room.

"To Carmine Falcone! The founder of the feast!" They chorused.

The door to the party room was ripped open and a volley of .22 caliber bullets took out the five Irishmen. A small plastic cornucopia was found nearby on the table, stained with their blood.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED!


	3. Christmas

Chapter Three

Christmas

* * *

"Happy Holidays…Happy Holidays…May the merrybells keep bringing happy holidays to you. Blah-Blah-Blah. Yadda-Yadda-Yadda." A green haired man sang as he looked over an issue of the Gotham Times running headlines on the Holiday Killer.

The Green haired man then proceeded to hoot with positively demonic laughter and rip up the paper.

"Don't you just HATE that song?!" The Joker hooted as he spoke to no one then stood up and walked out of the kitchen he had been reading.

He regarded the interior of the house that he was in the process of invading and spoke cheerfully.

"Then he slithered and slunk with a smile most unpleasant around the room and took every present." He chirped as he walked past the tied up still conscious bodies of the family he was robbing, "The one speck of food that he left, on the house, was a crumb that was too small even for a mouse."

The Joker then walked out of the house into suburban Gotham City and headed to his purple car.

"To the top of the porch and to the top of the wall, dash away, dash away, Oh who really cares?"

* * *

Over at Arkham Asylum that Christmas Eve found Batman and Gordon investigating both the escape of the Joker and the mystery of the Holiday Killer. They passed by Doctor Bartholomew Wolper's office quickly, not wanting to get into a big argument with the dork, and then headed down to level 14C to Julian Day's padded cell. Gordon was talking aloud, a habit he was beginning to pick up from Harvey.

"The Joker has escaped again and attacked some family without any casualties. But he did take their Christmas presents and everything else, talk about low."

As they passed by Pamela Isley's cell, Gordon continued speaking.

"There are so many here…You ever give it thought that your presence attracts these strange men and women?"

"Not really."

"Okay." Gordon commented with a nonchalant shrug as they entered the hallway leading to The Calendar Man's padded cell, a strange man who only killed people on popular holidays, and whom was standing in his cell calmly reciting rhymes.

"Thirty hath September, April, June, and-Oh, if it isn't the Bat and his loyal dog?" He spoke calmly.

"I've spoken to the District Attorney's office, Julian, and they are willing to commute your current sentence to 'Time Served' if you will assist the Gotham Police Department with these Holiday Murders." Batman spoke coldly.

Gordon shrugged and spoke.

"And our feelings are what with your interest in committing crimes on the Holidays also, you might have insight?"

"Oh I do and have to say, you're really handling this situation sloppily." Julian commented, "Tomorrow is Christmas Day and, well, it will be a blast for Holiday. Oh yes, she will be killing again."

Batman got an interested look on his face.

"You think it's a woman?"

"No and yes. He likes it, the attention. No one knows who she is and already he has made a name for himself in a periodical of note. Right now, we've been lucky since it's only been two killings on important holidays. But come February? Oh my, Lincoln's Birthday? Washington's Birthday? Even Presidents Day?" Julian commented cryptically.

"Surely we will have Holiday caught by then-"

"Mmmm, I don't think so." Julian mocked Gordon mockingly.

* * *

Over at Maroni's Italian Restaurant found Salvatore Maroni enjoying some lasagna and a good cigar while talking to his second-in-command, Luca Mareli.

"We need to plant a mole in the D.A.'s office, if anything to keep us ahead of the prosecution."

"Already on it, Mister Maroni. I got a guy named Vernon who will fit in nicel-" Mareli suddenly started laughing.

Confused, Maroni chuckled also.

"What's so funny?"

Mareli's mouth turned into a hideous grin and he collapsed dead from an induced cardiac arrest.

"What the hell-"

"More _vino_, Mister Maroni?" The Joker asked as he walked over dressed like a waiter. Maroni blinked then drew his gun.

"Okay, laughing-boy, you don't come into my place and-"

The Joker put an Uzi to Maroni's forehead.

"Ah-ah-ah-Maroni, or should I say, The Holiday Killer?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Me? Holiday? Come on."

"Why not? You are the number Two man in this burg and only the Falcone men have been killed at the moment, so you have the most to gain."

"Oh come on, I swear on my mother's grave that at the end of day, it's about business, and this Holiday killer is screwing up things for everyone."

"Oh really? Then I suggest you tell me who is Holiday."

The doors to the kitchen whipped open and two thugs charged at the Joker just after Maroni gave him the information he wanted, who jumped out of the Restaurant though the front window. Maroni sighed irritably.

"I really hate that guy. He skeeves me out. Okay, we got a stiff to take care of here."

The two thugs grumbled and picked up Mareli and began to carry him out back to a car in order to throw him into the Gotham River. Maroni waited for a few minutes as he called the police and his insurance company to have the window replaced, then stepped outside after closing up the restaurant to find Batman waiting for him. Maroni drew his gun and Batman grabbed his arm and punched him in the gut.

"Not a bright move, Salvatore. What happened here?"

"That looney-tunes clown broke my window and threatened me. He thought I was Holiday."

"What is his connection to Holiday?"

"How should I know?! This whole town's going crazy since you showed up!"

Batman bristled at that but didn't let Salvatore have it. Instead he headed out to find the Joker.

* * *

Gilda Dent had a blindfold over her eyes since leaving the Hospital. They were now outside someplace with snow softly falling around her.

"Harvey? Can I look now?"

"First, let me say Merry Christmas, Gilda."

She took the blindfold off of her eyes and gasped as she saw a magnificent and cozy-looking house with a wreath on the front door before her and Harvey. She practically tackled Harvey in a big hug and kiss. Harvey laughed but responded with concern.

"Whoa, slow down, Gilda. The doctors want you to take it easy since the old house was blown up."

"Oh, doctors, what do they know?" Laughed Gilda, "Harvey, can we really afford this house?"

"Mostly. I just need to work a little harder to pay the bills."

"I'm cool with that."

Harvey swept his wife off her feet and carried her into the house, both laughing happily. Gilda kissed her husband passionately.

"Since we're starting over in a new house…you, um, want to try having a kid again?"  
Harvey's smile faded a little.

"I…yeah. It would seem appropriate."

"Come on, Harvey. You know you're not the monster that is your father. You're a good man." Gilda commented as Harvey set her down.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." A hooting laugh spoke.

A purple gloved fist decked Harvey in the face. Gilda screamed in shock as the Joker proceeded to beat the living crud out of Harvey with a crowbar, laughing all the time.

"I don't doubt, Dent, that you are a good man with the law, but what sort of a man are you outside the law? If the buzz is true that the District Attorney is a psycho killer, I'm going to be a lot less friendly on my next visit." Joker finally spoke as he finished beating Dent like an animal. He tossed the crowbar on the floor, kicked Dent once in the face nonchalantly, and walked out the door.

* * *

Carmine Falcone was drifting off to sleep in his big bedroom in his penthouse. Suddenly, he heard some weird laughter from two of his button-men outside his room that jarred him awake. The doors to his bedroom burst open and the Joker stormed in and, before Carmine could leap out of his bed for his gun, jumped onto the Roman and whispered coldly.

"Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey. Listen up, Falcone, when you want to take this Holiday situation more seriously, you find him and put two into his skull…or if you don't, hear this: I will make everyone in Gotham City wish they were dead! Am I clear?" The Joker snarled and as he finished, he got off of Carmine and walked out of the room backwards, past dead bodyguards with big grins on their faces.

The Joker calmly walked down a flight of stairs, backwards still, rather fast and reciting rhymes to himself as he walked outside to escape.

"He spoke not a word, but went straight to work. He filled all the stockings…"

As he got ready to leave the building, the Joker spoke again.

"-Then turned with a JERK!"

He threw a deck of cards at Milos with sharpened edges that cut into his arms like throwing stars, forcing him to stumble back. The Joker then ran off into the night, leaving a dazed and bleeding Milos behind who looked up to get at least a shot off after the Joker and saw-

"Holy-"

Two silenced shots rang out through the night and Milos fell down the outside steps to Falcone Exports/Imports, breaking his neck in the process. By the time his body was discovered, there was a small snowglobe left next to his body with a snowman in it.

As Milos' body was carried off to the Morgue, Batman watched from a rooftop coldly.

_Have a very merry Christmas Joker…it may be your last!_

* * *

_TO BE CONTINUED!_


	4. New Year's Eve

Chapter Four

New Year's Eve

* * *

"IT'S TIME TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR!" Hooted the Joker as he walked through a private airport where he was in the process of stealing a crop duster in order to kill the Holiday Killer.

He had managed to stay ahead of the Batman easily over the last few days since the Christmas Eve killing and now he was intending to drop his deadly laughing poison gas all over Gotham Square to stop the Holiday Killer.

As The Joker did a little dance over to the crop duster, he did an out loud check of supplies and equipment and personnel.

"Let's see? Co-Pilot? Dead. Navigator? Dead. Hey, stewardess! Don't you know that Federal Regulations prohibit smoking on this flight! Violation of such laws can result in death by immolation!" The Joker laughed as he doused the three people who had resisted him with gasoline and set their lifeless grinning bodies on fire.

The Joker then leapt into the cockpit of a crop duster and took off.

"Up, Up, and Away or whatever that guy in blue likes to say sometimes!" He cackled, not knowing that Batman had just grappled onto his new plane.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at Harvey Dent's office found Harvey looking over the case files on the Holiday Killer for a change instead of the Falcone Family's files. He sighed.

"Harv, if you had half a brain you would call it a night-"

"M-Mr. Dent? I hope I'm not disturbing you?" A weasel-like voice spoke from the door in the form of Dent's new assistant, Vernon.

Harvey sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Working late again, Vernon? You'll never get ahead putting in all these extra hours."

"You're working late, sir."

"What do you want, Vernon?"

"I was looking through the files on the Roman case."

"And?"

"I found a connection between The Roman and Bruce Wayne. I know it is late but I thought you would be the first to know and-"

Harvey yanked the files out of Vernon's hands and stared at them in shock.

"Actually, I appear to be the second. Bruce Wayne has known that this information for quite some time, I see."

* * *

It was almost midnight and the Joker was almost to Gotham Square with his stolen Crop Duster. Batman was hanging onto the grapple cord and steadily approaching the Crop Duster but knew he had to hurry it up. The Joker swore audibly.

"Dammit, what is wrong with the world?! I steal a crop duster and it doesn't fly right?! What could possibly-Why, hello, Dead weight!" He commented the last part as he saw Batman.

"Put down…the plane…now." Batman snarled dangerously right into the Joker's face.

"Nah…maybe later. Right now, there's a lot of smiles to make happen."

He did a loop with the crop duster and made Batman fall off of the main fuselage of the plane and grab the back wing.

* * *

Over in Gotham Harbor, sea side, was the Falcone family's private yacht hosting a big fancy party with good food and a lot of champagne. One bottle of Dom Perrignon '53 was being broken into by Carmine and Salvatore calmly.

"Um, Carmine, we've been rivals a long time, and you have always come out on top." Salvatore stated as he grimly regarded the champagne and didn't sip just yet, "But if we don't stop the Holiday Killer, we may be in serious business."

"I appreciate your concern, Salvatore. It touches me inside to hear it. However, the Holiday Killer has only killed people of my family and business. No blood on your side of the table, if you get my drift."

"Waitaminute, What are you saying?"

"Absolutely nothing. Just enjoy the party…" Carmine commented with a smile as cold as ice.

His sister hugged him calmly. She was already a little drunk, still out of grief from losing Johnny.

"Oh, Just like poppa, Carmine. You keep your friends close, but enemies closer."

"Just like you and me. By the way, have you seen Alberto?"

Stung by the comment, Carla didn't answer immediately.

"Your son is on deck, having a cigarette, I think." She finally spoke then stormed outside to light up a cigarette herself.

Carmine looked over the room and sighed irritably.

_What a lovely bunch of vipers I have surrounded myself with. If it weren't for Alberto, I couldn't trust anyone…_

Suddenly, there was a scream from outside that sounded remarkably like Carla, prompting a lot of people to hurry outside to see Alberto's lifeless body floating away in the water rapidly, turning the water red with his blood. The only thing left on the deck was a small champagne flute glass.

* * *

Harvey Dent walked into the living room of his house to find James and Barbara Gordon waiting for him with his wife, who briefly noted his hair was soaking wet, but assumed it was because of the cold wet snow coming down. Harvey looked at James calmly, a look of determination on his face.

"I think we have a break in the case." He commented, "We need to talk. Kitchen, NOW."

James and Harvey quickly headed into the kitchen while Gilda and Barbara had some champagne and talked. James saw that Harvey was looking into the fridge calmly and spoke aloud.

"What precisely happened, Harvey?"

"We need to talk about something that has been staring us right in the face, Jimbo. We need to talk about Bruce Wayne."

* * *

Batman had managed to get back onto the front half of the Crop Duster, who was talking calmly.

"I really don't see what all the fuss is about? I'm trying to stop Holiday, like you?"

"I don't drop nerve gas on innocent people-URK!" Batman shouted as his cape had tangled in to the front propeller.

"Why not? We both know who Holiday is, but the odds clearly state he is somewhere in the crowd tonight and-"

"You're a maniac!"

"Uh, yeah. Did you really take this long to realize? Hey, here's a quick question? When the clock strikes thirteen, do I get a little kiss?"

Batman punched the Joker in the face twice and put the crop duster on a collision course with the ocean.

"I guess that's a no?" The Joker sighed with a regretful look on his face as they flew pass the Clock and Batman fired a grappling hook at the big Clock's hour arm. The hook latched onto the arm and The Joker and Batman were yanked out of the crop duster which crashed into the ocean and the Joker Nerve Gas dissipated harmlessly.

As they landed on the face of the clock, Batman saw police cars pulling up to the clock to arrest the Joker and coast guard boats approaching the Falcone party yacht. He knew they weren't going to arrest the Roman, so he briefly wondered why the coast guard was boarding Carmine's yacht.

* * *

On January the 6th, a body was found on the beach near where the Falcone Boat had been on New Year's. As the City Coroner was finishing up examining it, Carmine Falcone slowly approached the body, shaking sadly.

He dropped down before the mangled and seagull-eaten corpse of Alberto's body and began to show a brief moment of sadness by crying.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED!


End file.
